Family Dinner
by Goku Yamaguchi
Summary: Judy heads home to introduce her boyfriend to her family at dinner, but will prejudice get in the way? (NOTE: WildeHopps)
1. Chapter 1

The Hopps' homestead was bustling, as their daughter, Judy, was coming home with her new boyfriend from the large city of Zootopia. So, in preparation, all the family members (2 parents, 1 grandparent, and the 275 siblings) worked together to clean the homestead for a lovely evening. After hours of preparation everything was set, from the nicest tablecloth cleaned and on the table to the huge buffet of food prepared for everyone. Exhausted for the moment, Bonnie and Stu Hopps plopped down on the couch, waiting for their sweet Jude to come home.

"I can't believe," Stu said, "that our little Jude has fallen in love."

"I wonder what he'll be like," Bonnie replied.

Then came the knock at the door. Knowing exactly who it was, the bunnies got up.

"Oh no," Bonnie whispered, "it can't be them yet! Gideon hasn't come with the pie!"

"Settle down," Stu whispered back, "he'll get it here soon I bet."

At a normal pace Bonnie walked up to the front door and opened it. As expected, there was their wonderful daughter Judy, a police officer for the Zootopia Police Department. Behind her, however, was not another bunny; instead, it was a tall, orange fox wearing a green collard shirt, khaki pants, and a tie. Seeing that her mother was speechless, Judy began talking.

"Mom," she started, "this is Nick… he's my boyfriend."

Stu, hearing everything but not seeing, walked over, his excitement building on who this man was that could possibly leave his wife speechless. Making it to the door, he too went speechless when he saw that it was a fox. Sure, they had trusted Gideon, but that had taken quite some time considering how he was when he was young. This time it was different; while Gideon had remained an acquaintance, this man was in love with his daughter. As Stu was thinking he hadn't noticed that Nick had extended his hand to greet him. Snapping out of it, he grabbed the fox's paw and shook it. Leading them inside, the four were immediately swamped by 275 rambunctious and excited children. Everyone was saying something, but the noise made it so that no one could hear a specific person say anything. After several seconds of commotion an ear-piercing whistle rang from the back of the room. Everyone turned to see that the whistle came from Grandpa Hopps.

"Let me see him," the elderly bunny spoke. Making his way through the crowd of kits, Nick stood in front of the patriarch of the large family, waiting to see what would come of it. The bunny took a long look at the fox that had stolen his granddaughter's heart.

"A fox, huh?" Grandpa finally said after a long inspection.

"Nick Wilde, uh, sir." Nick nervously replied, extending his hand. The old mammal didn't take it.

"Foxes," he muttered, "spawn of the devil."

"I'm sorry, _what_?" Nick replied. He had just barely heard the old man with his amazing hearing.

"You heard me, fox! All of you are demons!"

Sensing that this wasn't going to end well, Bonnie interjected with, "How about we get to know you better, Nick."

"That's a good idea," Stu added as he started to direct everyone to the living room. After all were settled a long discussion began.

"So Nick," Bonnie began, "tell us a little bit about yourself."

"Well," Nick began, "I originally was an ice cream, eh… vendor, up until I met Judy. After some time she recommended me to the Zootopia Police Academy, where I graduated and now work with her on a day-to-day business as partners."

"Doesn't, y'know, working together hinder your relationship?" one of Judy's many siblings asked.

"Well, not really," Nick replied, "except for maybe Clawhauser. Every time he sees us he kind of… what's the word I'm looking for?"

"Fangirls?"

"Yeah, that's the one. He thinks we're adorable for some reason. Other than that, no, we really don't have any problems."

"And Judy," Stu started, "how's city life?"

"Oh it's great. Lot of nice restaurants and such. Crime seems to be going down after the Night Howler case was resolved, but we still get some action here and there." Judy answered. As she finished her sentence the doorbell rang. Bonnie began to get up when Nick politely offered to get it for her. Not taking no for an answer, Nick walked over and opened the door to reveal Gideon Grey, still in his apron, holding a pie.

"Sorry I'm late with the- oh!" Gideon started, "I don't believe we've met. I'm Gideon Grey, and I'd like to shake your hand, but I've got a pie in my hands."

"Nick Wilde. I'm Judy's boyfriend."

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, but I've gotta get going home." Gideon said as he put the pie down on the dining room table.

"Why don't you stay for dinner?" Judy offered. She and Gideon had resolved their differences, and this was the nice thing to do. Silently Gideon nodded, folding his apron, placing it in his pocket, and sitting down with everyone else. After a little more discussion it was agreed that they should eat before the food got cold.

As the 280-odd people sat around the table they could not help but notice all the food that had been set out. There were plenty of carrot-related foods but some were more on the leafier side. The family could consider themselves lucky that Nick was a vegetarian, but he loved the food anyway. While everyone at the dinner table remained mostly silent Nick couldn't help but notice the dirty looks being shot at him by Judy's grandfather at the other end of the table. Nick was starting to get a bit irritated- the bunny had been sarcastic, and rude to him, and yet Nick wasn't sure if it was all towards him or to Gideon as well.

"Nick", Judy said, "are you feeling OK?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine Carrots-"

"CARROTS?!" yelled Grandpa Hopps, his ears pointing up rather quickly, "Did you just call my little Judy 'Carrots'?!"

"Grandpa, relax, he calls me that all the ti-" Judy intervened before she was interrupted.

"No! Calling a bunny 'Carrots' is as inexcusable as calling a bunny 'cute'! It's degrading, and your boyfriend has no manners!"

"No manners?" Nick replied, reaching the last straw, "If I remember correctly, it was _you_ who said that all foxes were demons!"

"Yeah… I'm gonna go… thanksforthedinneryouguys!" Gideon said as he quickly walked out. There was no way he was getting in the middle of _that_ , especially if it involved the oldest member of the Hopps family, who nearly whacked him with his cane once many moons before.

"This whole time you've been shooting dirty looks at me as if I'm some sort of scum on your bathtub! Did I do anything to you?"

"You fell in love with my granddaughter, that's what! A bunny should _only_ date a bunny- that's final!"

Nick sat silently for a moment, then got up and walked out the front door without a single word.

"I'm… I'm gonna go talk to him." Judy slowly said before she too walked out. Everyone else present still sat.

"Kids," Stu said, "can you step out of the room? Your mom and I need to talk to Grandpa."


	2. Chapter 2

Nick sat out on the front porch of the Hopps' homestead, still grumbling about the argument he had only a few moments before. _So much for a first impression_ , he thought. He had been looking forward to this for weeks now, but he hadn't expected anything like this.

Behind him the screen door creaked open and shut, and Judy sat down next to him.

"Hey," she said, "you OK?"

"I don't know," he replied, "when I heard we were gonna visit your family, I thought they'd be a bit more like you- polite, willing to get to know you first, the likes. But then we show up and your grandfather gets all iffy with me like I'm a bad guy. It's like the Junior Ranger Scouts all over again."

"Well," Judy softly replied, "he's always been like that."

"… Really?"

"Yeah. One time Gideon accidentally hit a baseball onto his lawn, and when he went to go get it my grandfather whacked him with his cane for trespassing."

"Oh my god."

"He's just a bit… judgy, for lack of a better word. Besides, my parents seemed to like you."

"They gave me a blank stare when they first saw me."

"They probably weren't expecting you to be a fox. My guess is that they thought you were some bunny that worked in the spy business or something."

Nick chuckled. Judy's parents did seem to lighten up once they got to know him, and that made him feel slightly better. Her grandfather, on the other hand, well, he was just nasty, and Nick didn't appreciate that. But everyone else liked him, and besides, opinions didn't matter anyway. Through their big adventure together Nick had learned that stereotypes were nothing anyway.

"You wanna head back in, Carrots?" he asked.

"Eh… not yet. I have a feeling my parents are talking to Grandpa right now, so we might as well wait a few minutes." Judy answered.

"Oh." Nick said, "So that gives us some time."

Judy already knew where this was going. Meanwhile, the three bunnies sat in the dining room alone. Grandpa Hopps looked at his son and daughter-in-law.

"I don't regret what I said," he announced.

"Dad", Stu started, "you were a bit harsh to Nick…"

"Well, he's a fox! He deserved what he got!"

"But he's a nice guy!" Bonnie said, "And besides, we have to respect Judy's wishes-"

"Respect her wishes?! She could be with a nice bunny in the carrot farming industry! We all know that we didn't want her becoming a police officer in the big city in the first place, and when she did we all gave her our support, and how does she repay you? By bringing home A FOX!"

"Dad, calm down."

"Did I ever tell you what a fox did to me?"

"A thousan-"

"It was a long time ago!"

Stu and Bonnie gave each other a look that said 'Here we go again…'

"I was a young bunny, in fact not that much younger than Judy is right now. I was walking down the road when all of a sudden I heard 'Let's get him!' and I turn around to see not one, not two, but three foxes running towards me. I try to fend them off, and I do for a few minutes, but soon they overpowered me. They wound up taking my wallet and everything I had on me except the clothes on my back. I still have the scars on my face and the bite in my ear. And you know who was leading that group? The father of that wretched Gideon!"

"Dad, that was 45 years ago. Gideon's father eventually came to apologize, didn't he?"

"I had to beat his son **and** him for it though. That took another 10 years to happen!"

"Well, the past is the past." Bonnie argued, "Besides that, you never really gave Nick a chance. He really seems like a guy who'd watch out for Judy and not do anything to her."

"All foxes are the same- sly, cunning, evil. Should never trust one."

Stu and Bonnie just stared at him. He was quite stubborn in his old age, and he was always the nastiest critic in the house.

"Y'know what? Your minds have all been poisoned. I'm heading home."

The elderly bunny slowly stood up and walked towards the front door. Upon opening it, he found his granddaughter kissing the awful guest she brought home.


	3. Chapter 3

"What are you doing with my granddaughter you demon spawn?!" Grandpa Hopps yelled upon seeing the embrace on the front porch.

Nick quickly got up, "I'm just doing what couples do, _sir_ ," adding a bit of sarcasm to the last word. He wasn't expecting the sudden burst of fox repellent that hit him square in the eyes.

"Oh dear god, it burns!" Nick yelled, holding his face in his hands as he stumbled backwards. After being caught by Judy he blinked a few times and raised his paws.

"Alright, old man," Nick said with tears welling up in his eyes, "bring it."

"Oh! So the boy wants a fight, eh?" Grandpa said. Immediately he threw down his cane and stood up straight, even though he would be shorter than Nick anyway.

"Uh, dad, I don't think this is a good idea…" Stu interjected.

"Quiet, son," Grandpa replied, "it's personal business."

Quickly the old bunny hopped up and kicked Nick right in the jaw. _Man that hurt!_ Nick thought, _for an old bunny though he sure has some spunk_. Before the old bunny could strike him again Nick managed to carefully pin him down, but it didn't last too long as Grandpa bit his paw. Nick swiftly let go as he held it in agony, trying hard not to yell.

"No one, and I mean _no one_ , can keep Carl Hopps down!" Grandpa yelled in victory. The two stared at each other- Grandpa adjusting his glasses, Nick trying to see behind the tears. It felt like it was the immovable object meeting the unstoppable force. Then all five heard a police siren wail and a car stop. Out of the car stepped Bunnyburrow's sheriff, Nixon Springs. He looked like all the other bunnies in the town, but he had aged quite a bit since Judy last saw him.

"What's all the hub-bub?" he said, walking up to the front porch.

"Officer," Nick said, "nothing's wrong. Just a small, eh, disagreement, that's all."

"Lies! All lies!" Carl yelled, "Officer, this fox is dating my granddaughter!"

"…So?" Nixon casually replied.

"Surely this is unacceptable!"

"Well, I don't recall seeing anything in the lawbooks against a rabbit dating a fox, so why all the commotion?" Then he noticed Nick; the bruise slowly forming in its black-and-blue shape on his cheek, the tears in his bloodshot eyes, and the red teeth marks on his paw. "Sir, are you OK?"

"Me, I'm fi-" Nick began before he was interrupted by Judy.

"No, he's not." Judy announced, "Sheriff Nixon, I'm Officer Hopps of the Zootopia Police Department, and while I am off duty I would, however, like to report an assault."

"An assault, huh?" Nixon said, "Care to explain?"

"Mr. Wilde and I are indeed dating. That is true. However, my grandfather, who, as you know, is against foxes, so when he opened the door to see Nick and I embracing, he, well… he got defensive. Fox repellent was used and although he was restrained, my grandfather attacked him."

Nixon took a look at Carl and sighed. "Again, Carl?" he asked, "I thought you knew better after you attacked the Greys."

"They started it!" Carl retorted.

"That was a long time ago, and you didn't even press charges on them because he was just a reckless teen at the time. And when one baseball, a _baseball_ , landed in your yard, you got physical. I'm sorry, Mr. Hopps, I'm putting you in custody for assault."

As Nixon began to read Carl his Miranda rights, Stu and Bonnie helped Nick back inside the house and led him to the sink with Judy following close behind. After a few minutes of rinsing his eyes out with "no-tears" kit shampoo he sat on the couch across from Judy's parents.

"I'm… I'm really sorry." He started.

"Don't be," Stu stopped him.

"W-why not? I ruined the evening."

"No, it wasn't you Nick. My father… he's a bit… _biased_ , for lack of a better word. He's always had this thing with foxes. You're welcome here anytime."

Nick paused.

"I have to do something."

He began to get up.

"Wait!" Judy said, "Where are you going?"

"To Bunnyburrow Police."


	4. Chapter 4

Carl Hopps sat in a cell inside the Bunnyburrow Police Station. He had been here before, but he rarely talked about it. He always thought he was there because of those darn foxes stirring up trouble when he was around. They were always up to no good, it seemed, and he always wound up being the victim. Then he noticed Nixon opening the cell door.

"Well, Carl," he said, "you're free to go."

"…Huh?"

"Someone paid for your bail."

"R-really? Who?"

"I'll let you find out who yourself."

And with that the sheriff walked off, letting Carl head out to the main desk of the station. Upon getting there the only person he saw was that fox who got him in. He cleaned his glasses and checked the room for anyone else. There was no one else besides them and the lady at the desk.

"You!" Carl yelled.

"Yes?" Nick casually replied.

"You… paid my bail?"

Nick nodded and said, "I can't let my girlfriend's grandfather sit in a cell all night, now can I?"

Carl stood silently.

"You coming?"

 _I'll deal with it for now_ , Carl thought to himself, as being in a car with a fox wasn't too positive for him. Walking out of the police station Nick and Carl got into the rental car. Turning the ignition the radio came on.

 _"Welcome back, folks, as we're in the bottom of the ninth with the Tundra Terrors leading the Sahara Saints by 4. There are two outs, two strikes, bases loaded, and three balls. Here comes the Saints' next batter, Jimmy Jaguarson."_

"Oh brother," Nick grumbled.

"What's the matter?" Carl replied, looking at the driver.

"Jaguarson's the worst batter on the Saints, and if they lose this game I lose a bet to Clawhauser. There's no way I'm winning with my fantasy baseball team this year."

"I dunno," Carl said, "Jaguarson's improved quite a bit since his days in the minor leagues. Could pull off a miracle."

 _"And here we go… the wind-up… the pitch… and-"_

The radio went dead with static, and with it came annoyed groans from the two.

As the radio's static died down the two went quiet, and it stayed that way for a while.

Finally, Carl spoke up.

"Why did you pay my bail?" he slowly asked.

Nick thought for a moment.

"Well," Nick began, "I did it because I like to give people some time to get to know each other before they make judgments. And sometimes a second chance is just what a person needs."

"That sounds like something Judy would say."

"Well, I would hope so- she taught me that!"

Carl chuckled. Judy was a feisty bunny when she wanted to be, and she was always as determined as ever to get things done.

"Are… are you mad at me?" he asked. Nick thought about it a bit more.

"No," Nick answered, "things have happened before where I've been judged for no real reason other than that I'm a fox. And I never would have thought that calling Judy 'Carrots' would've offended you; she's always let me call her that."

"Well," Carl replied, "I would have never thought that my little Judy girl would have brought home a fox. I have had some really bad times with foxes, so when I see one, I get a little… leery, I guess."

"See, we both have something in common; baseball, and the fact that we've had terrible experiences."

"With both!" Carl yelled, eliciting laughter from the both of them. Then they went silent again.

"Nick,"

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you an honest question?"

"Fire away."

"… What do you think of my granddaughter?"

"Well… Judy is an amazing person, and she's very good to work with on duty. To be honest, if it weren't for her I'd probably still be hanging out under a bridge with my friend Finnick. But here I am, happy and a proud member of the ZPD thanks to her amazing persistence."

"I understand that." Carl retorted, "But what about as a _partner_?"

Nick let out a subtle gulp.


	5. Chapter 5

Judy sat with her parents in the living room of the Hopps homestead. The other children were nowhere to be seen, all of them having gone to play or handle farm chores.

"So," Stu said, trying to start a conversation, "how about that Drew Canary, huh?"

"Dad, I'm not in the mood right now," Judy began.

"Oh, honey, your father's just trying to keep your mind off of… what happened." Bonnie added.

"But my grandfather's in a jail cell and my boyfriend's down at the station _with_ _him_. Who knows what's going on!"

"Sweetie, I'm sure everything is just fine."

"Now, Jude," Stu said, "I'm wondering: why didn't you stand up for Nick? Surely that would have helped."

"Here's the thing," Judy said as she sighed, "Remember when Nick said he was an ice cream man?"

Her parents slowly nodded.

"Well, that part is true. The thing is, Nick was buying ice cream, melting it, selling it, and then he went and evaded his taxes."

A little bit of surprise came up on Stu and Bonnie's faces.

"The city has forgiven him for his crime, but he's pretty much been persuading people since he was 12. I figured if anyone could change a person's mind, it was him. Then again, Grandpa's a stubborn bunny who never lets anyone push him around."

Stu chuckled a little, "You've got that right. My dad's surely no pushover. And to be honest, Jude, I really was a little suspicious of Nick when I first saw him, and I still feel a little funny around him. But I didn't say a word in front of anyone because the times have changed, and it's ok to have… different choices. If he makes you happy, then your mom and I are happy."

A small smile emerged from Judy's face.

"Thanks guys."

 _EDIT: Sorry, this chapter was a wee bit short. I'll make up for it!_


	6. Chapter 6

"As a partner? On the police force?" Nick asked.

"No, as a romantic partner."

Nick cleared his throat. "Ehm, well… we've gone on a few dates to various places in the city. Usually it's dinner or movies."

"Oh. Typical dates."

"… Although on occasion, we have done other things. She once dragged me to the fair when it came to Zootopia, because they seem pretty common here in Bunnyburrow."

"She always loves those fairs. Can't keep her from going, even if she had the pox!" Carl chuckled.

"Other than that we usually hang out at her place."

"I see. Now, does she have a nickname for you?"

"Well, she did start calling me Fluff every now and then, but not as much as I call her-" he stopped suddenly. Carl looked at him, waiting for him to finish his sentence.

"Go on," Carl said with a bit of reluctance.

"… Carrots."

Carl nodded.

"And, well, we just… 'click'."

"What do you mean you just 'click'?"

"Well, we really do like each other, and we work well as a team. At home, well, she sometimes gets a bit frisky."

"She is a bunny, after all. That'll happen." Carl interjected. The two chuckled a bit as they pulled into the driveway of the Hopps' homestead. Walking up to the porch Nick had an idea.

"Let's hustle them," he said.

"… Huh?" Carl replied, a hint of confusion in his voice.

"We're gonna trick them, like a joke."

"Oh, that makes sense. So what's the plan?"

Meanwhile, Judy and Bonnie were busy washing the many dishes left at the dinner table as Stu swept up the mess under the table. A few children ran by here and there and everything seemed to being fine when all of a sudden the door opened.

"I told you, that's not how it's done!" Carl yelled.

"What do you mean 'that's not how it's done'?" Nick yelled back, "When you make Carrot and Blueberry Cake you always use vanilla frosting!"

"The vanilla ruins the texture!"

"I think it makes it taste better!"

"Well I beg to differ!"

The three bunnies walked up to them.

"What are you two fighting about now?" Judy asked, slightly irritated.

"Oh, just how to hustle someone." Carl answered as a smirk slowly emerged on Nick's face. Instantly Judy knew that things had improved between the two. Stu and Bonnie, on the other hand, were more lost than a mouse in an elephant park.

"So… how about dessert?" Nick asked.


	7. Epilogue

The five sat at the dinner table, enjoying Gideon's blueberry pie. Judy swallowed her bit.

"So you guys are good now?" she asked.

Carl and Nick glanced at each other.

"Yeah, I would say so." Nick replied.

"As long as I don't beat him in his fantasy baseball league." Carl said jokingly.

"Hoo boy," Stu said, leaning over to Nick, "Just warnin' ya – my old man's got this weird 'power' when it comes to baseball. He almost _always_ nails his predictions."

Hearing this, a look of despair spawned on Nick's face. He was going to go broke within a week against the old bunny.

"Wait, seriously?"

Everyone nodded at the table.

"He's been banned from a few too."

"So…" Nick gulpled.

Carl leaned forward and announced, "You got hustled, fox!"

The table broke into laughter at this turn of events. Things were good now, and you could be sure that Nick and Judy would come back to Bunnyburrow soon.

Author's Note: That's it! "Family Dinner" is complete! Thank you guys so much for reading and reviewing – you guys are awesome! While you're here, don't forget to check out "Jack Savage – Origins", my new Zootopia fanfic!


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